Meeting

Prepare beforehand: have a copy of the agenda, find out more about the topics for discussion, have the names of the attendees and read through previous minutes to see how these were written. During the meeting, listen intently for 4 things: the issue, the proposed solutions, the resolution, the reason for arriving at the resolution. When writing the minutes, do not try to achieve verbatim recording, but make sure you have the points raised clearly written down and important words and phrases that were used. Finally, don’t be distracted by other work: preparing the snacks, taking phone calls, etc.

4 Responses

1. SG Elite Says:
   July 15th, 2010 at 3:45 pm

   Get a copy of the Agenda so that you’ll know what is being discussed.
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2. the_lipsiot Says:
   July 15th, 2010 at 4:00 pm

   Yes – the agenda is a good start so you can refer to it when you’re working up your notes afterwards.

   My secretary makes sure she has the initials of each attendee to the meeting, so she can make sure she gets the right person. She will also only actually write every third or fourth word just to give her a reminder of what was said later on. Only when it is a crucial statement will she write it out in full at the meeting.
   References :

3. andrew sts Says:
   July 15th, 2010 at 4:22 pm

   Prepare beforehand: have a copy of the agenda, find out more about the topics for discussion, have the names of the attendees and read through previous minutes to see how these were written. During the meeting, listen intently for 4 things: the issue, the proposed solutions, the resolution, the reason for arriving at the resolution. When writing the minutes, do not try to achieve verbatim recording, but make sure you have the points raised clearly written down and important words and phrases that were used. Finally, don’t be distracted by other work: preparing the snacks, taking phone calls, etc.
   References :

4. PatV Says:
   July 15th, 2010 at 5:12 pm

   Develop your own shorthand system

   Capital letters abbreviated for attendees/speakers (John Smith =js)
   abbrevi familiar, frequently used words (productivity = prty; timeliness=ts)
   You should start jotting down notes from the minute you sit down, which means you’re there first. Immediately take note of who is in attendance. Use the agenda to highlight new topics.
   And you will be expected to have written things down "verbatim" but not every bit of a discussion. Find out from your supervisor what is expected (Motion proposed, discussion followed, Motion carried) is a generic example. They may prefer you keep notes on the actual discussion for the next meeting.

   Good luck…
   References :

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